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Inside Gustavus (January 13, 2011)

Volume 43, Number 17

Faculty/Staff Activities

On Friday evening, Jan. 7, and Saturday, Jan. 8, Darrell Jodock (religion) gave three presentations on "What to Expect in the Bible" to the "NW Cluster Lay School of Theology," sponsored by ten Lutheran congregations in New Hope, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, Brooklyn Park, and Maple Grove, Minn. Jodock also helped to organize this new lay school; his presentations were its first educational offering.

Barbara Fister (library) has had an article, "Liberating
Knowledge: A Librarian's Manifesto for Change," published in the journal Thought & Action.

Kjerstin Moody (Scandinavian studies) attended the annual conference of the Modern Language Association, held in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 6-9.

Funding Opps

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations' weekly program or funding opportunity highlight:

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Digital Humanities Start-up Grants... The NEH invites proposals for digital initiatives in all areas of the humanities. Projects may involve a range of topics (e.g., research of new digital approaches, exploration of digital methods for preservation or archival of humanities materials). Level I grant awards range from $5,000 to $25,000, while Level II grant awards range from $25,001 to $50,000. The deadline for proposals is Feb. 23, for projects beginning in September 2011. For current guidelines, please see the NEH website.

For more information on grants or proposal preparation, contact Bob Weisenfeld in the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (x7049 or bweis@gustavus.edu).

Social Media

Choir's Italian Tour Blog... Follow the the Gustavus Choir Tour of Italy 2011, and learn about its academic companion course, online at www.gustavus.edu/go/musictours. In this blog you will find stories, photos, and video documenting this unique January Interim Experience. The choir will perform in concert and help celebrate worship services in historic churches in Italy from Jan. 14 through 27.

For more information on social media, or to make a suggestion, contact Stacia Vogel in Marketing and Communication (x6365 or stacia@gustavus.edu).

In the Media

Here are some noteworthy Gustavus-related stories that recently appeared in print or broadcast media locally, regionally, or around the nation:

KEYC-TV ran a story on Friday, Jan. 7, about the Gustavus Choir's tour of Italy. Conductor Greg Aune (music) and student Sam Grace were interviewed for the story.

The St. Peter Herald printed a story in its Thursday, Jan. 13, edition about the Gustavus Choir's tour of Italy

Anyone who has suggested additions for this list, suggestions for potential future media stories, or interest in being a media source should contact Marketing and Communication (x7520 or ga_news@gustavus.edu).

Position Openings

Administrative secretary (Office of Alcohol and Drug Education)

For more information on the aforementioned position(s), call Human Resources (x7304).

News & Announcements

Parking Reminders... Parking and traffic regulations are enforced during January Interim and Touring Week. Please park according to permit color. Note that parking is still enforced during snow emergencies. Employees who need to leave a vehicle overnight should be in the designated overnight employee spaces in the Stadium lot. All Green/Yellow lots are no parking 2 a.m.-7 a.m., 7 days a week. When arriving on campus and parking, please park in areas where snow has already been plowed, and park without leaving large gaps between vehicles. Please be considerate of other people's vehicles and note that parking rules continue to be enforced during times of inclement weather—vehicles parked outside of signs will be cited. To be notified about City of Saint Peter snow emergencies, find more information athttp://ci.st-peter.mn.us/nixle.php3.

Feedback Wanted for 2011 Reading in Common... The following titles are being considered for the 2011 Reading in Common: The House at Sugar Beach, by Helene Cooper; This I Believe, edited by Dan Gediman & Jay Allison; Listening Is an Act of Love, edited by Dave Isay; The Wolf at Twilight, by Kent Nerburn; Scratch Beginnings, by Adam Shepard; andA Hope in the Unseen, by Ron Suskind. The selection committee is seeking feedback from the Gustavus community at large! Faculty, staff, and students can read one, some, or all books and complete a feedback form at gustavus.edu/orientation (find a direct link toward the bottom of the left hand column). The selection meeting will happen in early spring semester, so the deadline for feedback is Feb. 18.

Health Screening 2011... All employees, retirees, and spouses are invited to participate in the 2011 Health Screening free of charge. The health screening will be at the River’s Edge Hospital and Clinic Lab in St. Peter on Jan. 31-Feb. 4, and Feb. 7-11, 2011. Five-minute time increment appointments will be available during these dates between 6:30 and 9 a.m. on a first-call, first-serve basis. Thirty minutes of release time will be allowed for employees to participate in the screening. To sign up for a time, call the Human Resource Office at x7304 Monday-Friday, 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 1:30-4:45 p.m.

Meeting Site Alternative while Linner Lounge Is Unavailable... During the remodeling phase of the "new" Linner Lounge located in the Johnson Student Union, the Faculty/Staff Center has been made more available for meetings and smaller events. Previously, reservations for the Faculty/Staff Center were available only after 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. As of now, reservations have opened up for use prior to 2 p.m. Reservations may be requested at http://scheduler.gustavus.edu or by calling the Information Desk at x7590.

Campus Happenings

Chapel Schedule... All are invited to the worship services at 10 a.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. Sundays in Christ Chapel. The upcoming schedule is as follows.

Tuesday, Jan. 18 - Confession of St. Peter: Fr. Phil Schotzko, Church of St. Peter

Wednesday, Jan. 19 - Morning Praise

Thursday, Jan. 20 - Andy Davis, Union Presbyterian Church

Friday, Jan. 21 - Amy Jo Bur, Good Samaritan United Methodist Church

Bernard LaFayette Jr. to Present Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lecture... The College will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 17, with a public lecture by civil rights activist Bernard LaFayette Jr. and a performance of African America by Minneapolis’s Mixed Blood Theatre (see separate entry below). LaFayette will present the College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture at a 10 a.m. convocation in Christ Chapel, with a question-and-answer session following. The lecture is sponsored by the Gustavus Peace Studies program, the Diversity Center, and the Office of the President. LaFayette, who co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960, played a leadership role in several key Civil Rights Movement events in the early 1960s and was chair of the Consortium on Peace Research, Education, and Development (COPRED), a national organization sited at Gustavus in the mid-'70s.
He also was the first director of the Peace Education program at Gustavus—the forerunner of the College's Peace Studies program.

Mixed Blood Theatre Celebrates Black Heritage... A performance of African America by Mixed Blood Theatre will take place at 7 p.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 17) in Alumni Hall. In this insightful look at the modern African diaspora in Minnesota, the unexpected appearance of a magical African man leads a modern interracial couple to a better understanding and appreciation of the experience of immigrants to Minnesota from Liberia, Ethiopia, and Somalia and helps them consider how to connect with and celebrate one’s heritage. The presentation of African America is free and open to the public. No ticket is required.

And, on a Related Note... A display about the early years of the College's Peace Education program and the directorship of Bernard LaFayette isbeing mounted across the hall from the Dean of Students' Office to complement the College's Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities. This display was put together by junior student Bekka Steinwand utilizing research she conducted in the College Archives. It will be on display through January.

Register for Trinity Institute Web Conference... Gustavus will be a partner site for Trinity Institute's 41st national theological conference on January 19, 20, and 21. The national conference, titled "Reading Scripture through Other Eyes," will focus on how we read scripture. The conference will be a live Web broadcast, with keynoters Walter Brueggemann, Mary Gordon, Teresa Okure, and Gerald West. Facilitated small-group discussion will address questions in a theological context. Register now to reserve your place. More information is available from Marilyn Beyer.

Origami Artist in Residence at Gustavus... Robert J. Lang, a physicist who is recognized as one of the world’s leading masters of the art of origami, will participate in a three-week residency as the Rydell Professor at Gustavus Adolphus College. Lang’s residency will be broken up into two stints. He is on campus Jan. 17-28 to co-teach a January Interim Experience course, titled “Mathematics of Origami,” along with Gustavus faculty members Barbara Knight Kaiser and Carolyn Dobler (both MCS). During this first visit, he will demonstrate his mastery as an origami artist at two “Public Foldings,” on Jan. 24 and 26 from 9:30 - 11 a.m. near the Courtyard Café, lower level of the Jackson Campus Center. Then, during the week of March 7, Lang will then return to Gustavus for a series of public events. The Rydell Professorship is a scholar-in-residence program designed to bring Nobel laureates and similarly distinguished scholars to the Gustavus campus as catalysts for enhancing learning and teaching. It was established in 1995 by Drs. Robert E. and Susan T. Rydell of Minnetonka, Minn., to give students the opportunity to learn from and interact with leading scholars.

Annual Valentine's Day Dance... Join the Friends of Linnaeus Arboretum for dinner, dance, and live music in Alumni Hall on Valentine's Day! Saint Peter's own big band, "The Echos," brings back the music of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. Come with friends or bring a "dear heart" for a special evening. Don't dance? Come and enjoy the music and companionship anyway. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. There will be fun door prizes to bring home! Tickets may be purchased through gustavustickets.com. For more information, call Shirley Mellema at x6181.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Readers' Theater at Arts Center... The St. Peter Players present a readers' theater production of Oscar and the Lady in Pink by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt Sunday, Jan. 23, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. art the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Avenue). Doors open a half hour before the performances. Admission at the door: $7 general, $5 Arts Center members.

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Scheduled this week is Jim Gilbert (environmental studies), who will speak on "Care of Creation." on Sunday, Jan. 16, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine. Partners in Education is a program coordinated by the Office of Church Relations in which participating faculty and staff members prepare topical presentations for adult forums, workshops, and seminars in congregations of the ELCA.

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host a retreat for the Lutheran Youth Organization Board of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA. Hosts are Sarah Hausken from the Southwest Synod and Grady St. Dennis (church relations).

Music in Worship... Any Gustavus music ensemble or soloist is welcome to perform in congregations. For more information, contact Marilyn Beyer (x7001).

Plugs

"Plugs" is maintained as a forum by which members of the Gustavus community may offer goods and/or services to others in the community, or seek the same from them. It is not meant to accommodate ads or announcements from area businesses such as real estate agents or retailers, although from time to time such announcements may be published when deemed to be of particular interest to the community.

Inside Gustavus is a newsletter for Gustavus Adolphus College employees produced by the Office of Marketing and Communication. It is published weekly during the academic year (except during the week of Thanksgiving, the Christmas break, Touring Week, and the Spring and Easter breaks). Anyone may submit items by filling out an online submission form. While online submissions are preferred, items may also be submitted typewritten on a letter-sized sheet of paper. Send "snail mail" items to: Inside Gustavus, Office of Marketing and Communication. Items must reach the office no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication. The week of Nobel Conference the deadline is 4:30 p.m. Monday. For more information, contact Steve Waldhauser (waldo@gustavus.edu or x6413).